First time out#

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:06:51 +0000

From http://www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php?topic=33910.msg725043#msg725043 :

So last night it looked to be dry outside and I decided to take [my new bike] out to nip across town and see a man about a garage (see the garage, too), instead of using the more sensible commuter bike.  It's about 3kg lighter than the other usually weighs in at (depending on how much rubbish I have in the panniers), and playing "first away at the lights" is therefore a much more joyful experience.  In fact, I do not deny I was riding like a loon all the way there.  A loon somewhat impinged upon by the headwind, tis true, but nevertheless.  I've been thinking lately about my cornering (which is, as a rule, super-cautious) and one effect of that is that a homunculus in my cochlea is whispering "tighter countersteer!" around every bend and over/through/round every manhole cover, every pothole, and every grating.  A judge is said to have once ruled that "a cyclist is entitled to his wobble": I think I've used mine.

On the way back I had a tailwind.  I wound the headlight up to "Turbo" mode and hammered.

Verdict: I love it, though I think I'm going to swap the stem for a longer one.

I have the longer stem already, I just haven't fitted it: it was a bargain I stumbled across at Wiggle. I'm going to try a longer ride or two with the current setup first, but I did notice yesterday I was sitting right on the back of the saddle quite a lot